Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Opinion

The opinions presented below are solely the views of the author and do not represent the views of The News-Letter. If you are a member of the Hopkins community looking to submit a piece or a letter to the editor, please email opinions@jhunewsletter.com.

The recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) makes it excruciatingly clear that it’s time for us to fully recognize the existential threat of climate change — a danger of our own making, maintained through our neglect ...

If the values of “diversity” and “community engagement” are to be more than mere slogans — and if Hopkins is serious about its expressed commitment to equality — ending its contracts with ICE is non-negotiable.

The celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day on campus makes us hope that Hopkins is becoming a more diverse and inclusive university. But we can’t expect indigenous students to carry that burden alone. We have to remember that the University must also take action.

When I was 17, I set up an ironing board on the side of Market Street in downtown San Francisco. I wore a brand new shirt with straight-out-of-the-box creases, which read: “Ask me to help you register to vote.” Panicked about the possible re-election of George W. Bush (remember him?), I had convinced four friends to spend the day with me trying to register distracted shoppers.

Yes, this is a piece by a college student lamenting the state of politics in this country.
I’m not going to waste space here talking about what happened. We’re in America. Pretty much all Americans who’ve logged onto Facebook or seen a news headline know the facts, or, at least some version of the truth. Those in charge of our country these days seem to be always arguing about what actually happened in any given situation.

The mire of data related to sexual misconduct in the OIE report leaves us with many questions. Numbers are informative, but what can we do with these statistics? What can we do to address the problems they illustrate?

Baltimore is a college town, with nine universities in the city limits attracting around 55,000 students. Many of these students, particularly those at Hopkins, are reluctant to make a home in the city. They are wary of exploring its neighborhoods, rarely patronize the city’s cafes, steer clear of getting involved in local political issues and are generally comfortable living in the Hopkins bubble for four years.

As November approaches, the call to vote is heard louder and louder. There is no question as to whether you should vote, but the decision of where to register to vote may not be as clear.
If you are from Maryland, the choice has been made for you. However, those of us who hail from other states have to decide between having a voice in the places where we reside for most of the year and the places that built us.

If you think you’re safe under the Trump administration, think again.
Financial Times reported on Tuesday that earlier this year, immigration adviser Stephen Miller suggested to U.S. President Donald Trump that the government stop issuing visas to students with Chinese citizenship.

If this committee is given agency and information, it can be a good first step for the University in its efforts to solicit student feedback about campus security. We hope that it is a substantial body with real power and not simply a hollow gesture. It is up to the University to ensure that happens.

Students have been talking about getting a student center on campus since at least 2001, and every couple of years, there’s a renewed push to get one. We are in the middle of one of those pushes now as a confluence of University groups and reports — the Student Government Association’s Referendum, the Second Commission on Undergraduate Education (CUE2), and the Task Force on Student Mental Health and Well-being Final Report — have called for the construction of a student center.

In an email to students last Thursday, new Vice President for Security Melissa Hyatt welcomed student feedback on Hopkins security. She included a new email address and announced the creation of a new Student Advisory Committee for Security, whose role is to “address a variety of subjects” and “provide diverse perspectives” pertaining to security at Hopkins. The Committee is actively seeking applications.

This year, I’ve gotten better at taking care of myself.
For me, a lot of this means allowing myself to slow down. I set aside time to cook. I eat healthier and take my time at meals. I go to the gym. I sleep a lot more and avoid staying at Brody past midnight.

Over the past three years, I’ve gotten to learn more about Hopkins than I would have liked.
Our renowned medical research carries the shadow of exploiting test subjects with cases like the nonconsensual removal of Henrietta Lacks’ cells or the Kennedy Krieger lead paint experiments. Our school’s commitment to research-based solutions is discarded as it pursues a private police force which researchers and community members alike have rejected.